Tasks of the colon during digestion | Tasks of the colon

Tasks of the colon during digestion

Although hardly any nutrients are absorbed in the large intestine, with the exception of short-chain fatty acids, which are also already absorbed in the small intestine, the large intestine is nevertheless important. First and foremost, it plays a decisive role in maintaining our water balance. The large intestine absorbs about 80-90% of the water in the stool.

In this way, it protects the body from major fluid losses. The excreted stool contains only about 0.1 l of water. If this function of the large intestine is disturbed, e.g. by bacterial toxins, the loss of water can lead to life-threatening diarrhoea.

Together with the water, the colon also removes salts from the stool, primarily NaCl. Sodium and chloride are necessary for numerous processes in the body and for maintaining the osmotic environment in the cells. Therefore, it is important to ensure sufficient fluid and electrolyte intake in case of diarrhea.

A large amount of water and electrolytes is already absorbed in the small intestine. It is even possible to live without a large intestine, but then you have to pay more attention to your diet and fluid intake. The last part of the colon, the rectum, also has a reservoir function for bowel movements.

Because of this and the thickened stool, people have bowel movements on average once a day. In contrast to the small intestine, the large intestine is home to vast amounts of bacteria. The large intestine has the highest density of these small creatures in the entire body.

Here they digest food components that our body cannot digest itself. This is usually food rich in fibers. Through the bacteria, nutrients are released from these otherwise indigestible foods, which on the one hand feed the bacteria themselves and on the other hand can be absorbed by humans.

Thus the bacteria optimize our food intake. Dead bacteria are simply excreted and form the largest part of our stool. Interestingly enough, it is assumed that our intestinal flora has an influence on our weight, depending on which bacterial strains we have in our colon. The intestinal flora can change in the course of our life and probably also has an influence on our health.